#bc it's a really fascinating narrative progression to me

[rollforjackass]

thank god i've come back to tumblr after all this time bc where else could i say "i've been simping for the scarecrow from batman begins lately" with impunity. anyway thank you cilian murphy for your service

[winged-bat]

I think there’s something to be said about how even in stories so far removed from our society (fantasy, supernatural, sci-fi, etc), prejudice exists bc there is no world that we can image that has everyone be equal, things are just always inherently disproportionate

[hexhomos]

Hello fellow Jayce defender.

First off, virtual kisses on both your cheeks for your Arcane analysis. They're refreshing to read, and insightful as well.

Something that's always bothered me about the way fans interact with Jayce is assuming that he's always the one making the mistakes in any of his relationships. It's almost funny in a way how they strip other characters of their autonomy and arcs just so they can point out how Jayce is failing his partners.

With Mel and Viktor especially, there's this narrative that Jayce simultaneously ignores both of their needs while also prioritising one over the other. Either he neglects Viktor to go and swoon over Mel, or he abandons his relationship with Mel to go play science with Viktor, or he neglects both to go do his own things while they suffer through their own plots.

And it's fascinating how incredibly mistaken these people are, and also how they reduce his character to only being important when he's in a relationship.

I'm here like, "hey, do you wanna discuss the reason for how Jayce seemingly knows how to navigate the ways of high class society very easily is probably because he's had to rely on sponsorships and donations for most of his youth to find his research because his house is too poor to be able afford it?"

Or "It's canonical that Jayce only ever had one friend in his youth before Viktor, and that was the daughter of his main sponsor, do you think it's interesting that this indicates he probably had difficulty making or maintaining friendships and that this is possibly a symptom of the Academy mainly housing elite and rich students so they couldn't relate to his struggles and he couldn't relate to theirs?"

But no, people just want to hate on him for not being the picture perfect boytoy in a relationship.

And I mean, it's not like it's just reduced to Jayce either. So many other characters have had similar treatments where they're reduced to either their most basic qualities or mischaracterised entirely. And I'm really not trying to be the fandom police or whatever - everyone interprets differently - I just find it frustrating is all.

Anyways, you're cool.

YES I never have time to talk about this bc people don't give a fuck but in Jayce's journals we even see him stewing with envy and petty rage at this star-rising student on the academy that he sees as the example of a perfect prodigy (in opposition to how much Jayce fucks things up...)

It also strongly suggests he's on a scholarship, which ties into his suicide attempt.

Jayce is keeping his experiments a secret from everyone to avoid the blowback and isolating himself further and further when they don't work. Jayce is flawed! He's proud of his dream pitch to the point of hilarity. Jayce doesn't like socializing, he does it out of obligation! Even when he's being raised to a councilor position in s1 he's PANICKING. He doesn't want the fucking job, he doesn't like the parties nor the people, his truest honest self is that moment in season 2 where he declares the lab was always his home, and so was Viktor.

But even then he subsumes his own wants spends most of s1 trying to attend to the needs of other people. He routinely asks Viktor if he's alright, if he wants to come up to do the presentation, if he's sure those experiments are safe, etc. He tries to make Heimerdinger proud despite his constant rejections of their projects, and only turns on him when he threatens viktor's wellbeing. The reason why he doesn't announce anything on progress day is that he Was listening to Heimers so-called wisdom and it only bit him in the ass. Jayce gets himself in trouble with the council by being too naive and assuming his new post will allow him to crackdown on Piltovan corruption aided by the Hexgates. Majority of the complaints wrt relationships I see people making of him are just wildly exaggerated. "He was neglecting viktor" bro he talks about viktor in nearly every scene he has with mel 😭 viktor is the one who isolates himself and randomly disappears at times bc he's a grown man with his own boundaries.

Jayce's entire life is defined by the transactional nature of his existence, his work, the patronage receives - all depending on how much he can play the showpony role without fucking it up. It's not a comfortable position. Jayce is stressing out the whole damn show because if one person isn't pissed at him, someone else will be, and it always comes down to revokable money, investments, social standing. if he really was as uncaring and well-off as some claim he wouldn't give a shit. He could just coast along life, but that's not what he's doing ever. He only 'frees' himself in season 2 by abandoning his life's dream and the rotten reality that existed around it. Which is kind of bleak, but at least its over.

[oh-no-its-bird]

TORA AU TIME YES ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN !!!

Ok so first, quoting this from a previous tora au post:

Personal take here: I don't think Itachi likes being in charge! That boy is a born, built, and bred shinobi who follows what he is told to a perfect T, no matter how blatantly horrifically awful the order is! Even if hates it with all of his heart! He'll still fucking do it! And then only blame himself for it and not the guy who fucking ordered it! Because he'll still obey that guy after! Which also adds another fun layer of irony bc hes supposed to be clan head one day! To me, Itachi is a fascinating subject of having an unshakable, unbreakable iron will— and also having absoloutley no spine To be fair tho was also like. Fuckin 13. He was fucked up and was tricked at a very, very young age and unfortunatley that one mistake came to chain him to that one specific way of thinking. If he came to grow out of that way of thinking, he'd first have to admit he'd made a mistake, which wasn't gonna happen bc it was too late for regrets. But anyways: With Tora here Itachi has another "voice of reason" to help steer him away from other voices who might otherwise bind him. There isn't as much pressure on only him + Shisui to here and now choose what they (and only they) will choose to do to save the entire clan or Konoha Tora is a natural leader and quick to take charge, and Itachi is ok with that. When Itachi chooses to speak, he is listened to carefully and his opinions are taken seriously, which is all he can ask for tbh. Otherwise he's allowed to sit there and look pretty till given a nice, neatly wrapped plan approved by 2 people he can really, truly trust. So he's doing a bit better mentally than canon Anyways, in this AU I think Itachi should actually get to semi-retire as a shinobi and actually Sasuke gets to be clan head bc his brother ain't built for it. Plus it can play more into the stuff I was talking ab earlier about Sasuke struggling a lot more than those around him to learn different stuff (sealing especially) only to come out as one of the most terrifying in what he eventually masters. Let the second son inherit!! Let Sasuke have a defining character moment where he decides he wants to help guide the clan, and he's forced to kind of get over his brother worship to confront Itachi to say he doesn't think he'd make the best clan head. And Itachi let's out this sigh of relief he did not know he has been holding for his entire life and tells Sasuke he's proud of him.

With that in mind ^

I think the ultimate ironic pairing for the finale of the Tora AU would be Tora and Itachi ending up together, but with Itachi as the retired ninja housewife and Tora the big boi breadwinner

The ultimate fuck you twist call back to all Tora's parents talk of Tora needing to find a "good man to take care of you" + irony from them originally cheering Tora on when they learned he and itachi were friends bc they thought he'd snag him as a husband and the culmination of Itachi's "I don't really want to be in charge actually" arc

I love a full circle !!

Sasuke is Itachi's best man and Shisui is Tora's and Kakashi gets to walk Tora down the isle instead of his parents who he has no real attachment to

Actually POV I fucking kill off the Haruno's and Tora and Sakura have to deal w the death of their parents, who they both had very complicated relationships with but relationships nonetheless

Mmm I kinda like that, putting that in my back pocket for now

I honestly don't even know how the romance would happen, tbh I'm not the biggest romance fan but I just love the progression of it in the narrative. I think it'd be a cool end to their story, I'll sweat the little details later

Maybe they aren't even in love fr fr

Oh my god wait no hear me out

HEAR ME OUT

Itachi getting out of being clan head via marrying Tora. Don't ask me how this works. They aren't even like in love or anything but Itachi is using Tora as a political shield to fuck off and enjoy his housewife retirement actually.

Tora is similarly using this for one of his infamous political plots somehow, it's all part of his master plan and as usual itachi is just happy to go along for the ride

,,,the perfect queer platonic besties end to their arc ,, I love it this is my new ideal endgame

Sasuke drops that he's gonna fight Itachi to be clan head and Itachi one ups him by going "oh cool. Guess I don't need to marry Tora then."

Queue Sasuke spit take "You don't need to WHAT"

"Yeah we were gonna get married as part of a 10 step plan to help Tora take over the clan council + get me out of being clan head by abusing some old laws Tora found."

"??????????"

"I guess I'll tell Tora we don't need to do it anymore. I'm happy for you, little brother."

"???????????????????"

Anyways yeah, thinking ab tora au again.

I just finished re-reading my vault fic chapter for it and am having Thoughts(tm)

[loregoddess]

2, 3, 8, and 19 for the fandom game, for any fandom(s) you feel like talking about :)

(for 3, fic and/or meta posts, can't actually remember if you've posted straight up fic before haha)

2. My favorite fic from the fandom that I’ve read

I haven't read a ton of fic sadly (although I haven't read a lot in general the last few years due to college making me read So Many academic papers and books that I got burnt out and haven't quite recovered my love of reading. Yet). Although, my friend @lookerdewitt has written literally some of the best fic I have ever read, so I would probably say one of their fics.

3. My favorite fic from the fandom that I’ve written myself

I have actually sort of written fanfic (both legit fanfic, and also a few "thinly veiled technically fanfic if you changed the names" for a fiction writing class that I had to write several stories for and wanted to see if I could get away with it), but I haven't actually. Shared those fics with anyone? Partly bc I have historically almost never finished any fiction writing project that I have started, ever, and partly bc I'm just shy about sharing my writing in general.

I have been working on a LoZ fancomic idea for the past uhhhh four or five years (technically last decade since I first came up with the idea in late high school and then had it sit in the back of my head for several years bc all I had was a setting and a handful of characters), and I have never in my life stuck with a project this long, so I guess that would be my favorite from my personal works bc it's apparently something I care about enough to not abandon entirely. I've actually made a decent amount of progress on my "detailed outline" recently, so here's hoping I can stick it out and actually get to the script and then to drawing pages one day.

For meta posts I think my favorite is actually my analysis of the Octopath 1 cast and how the major antagonists in each of their stories acts as a mirror and foil to each character. I really enjoy analyzing stories in general, but I so rarely write it out, so I was happy to actually do so for once. Gave me a lot of confidence for all the other meta and headcanon posts that I wrote afterwards.

There's also a Legend of Dragoon meta post sitting partly-finished in my drafts where I analyze themes surrounding each dragoon spirit and its wielders, which I haven't finished bc I only remember to work on it when I'm doing my yearly replay of LoD, and also bc it started looking like it might need to be a series of posts due to uh....length. Like I make a lot of lengthy posts, but each dragoon spirit's analysis was about a short essay's worth of words, and there are eight spirits soooo....hopefully I'll finish that one day, bc it's an analysis I've spent years thinking about.

8. Is there anything I wish people would write more about in fics? (A dynamic, an exploration of an arc, just a character that doesn’t get much screentime, etc)

I'm always a sucker for post-canon healing/recovery/rebuilding arcs. Can't get enough of them honestly (when I have the motivation to read). There's something so fascinating about looking at a character who Went Through Some Stuff, but the main narrative didn't look at the effects of that, and so a dedicated writer took up the challenge of trying to explore what comes after.

Most of my favorite characters are weird side characters who don't get a lot of love from the writers of canon or fans, so I'm always glad to see stuff for them as well.

19. Favorite headcanon

Oh hmmm, there's a lot and it depends on which media we're talking about, so if you're curious about a specific game let me know. Off the top of my head though hmm...

Okay I have this headcanon that Milo TriStrat snorts when she laughs genuinely. Like sure she's got the ladylike proper, cute laugh that's part of her spy job and totally fake, but when she is being fully honest and laughing for real, she snorts.

[briny]

^not my post, take under cut

i was thinking abt this idea of ahistorically "progressive" fiction being harmful and I think.. I am less interested in this lens of viewing fiction than I used to be. I consider it a very normal reaction to be uninterested in the "liberal project of sanitizing colonial violence" and I believe that the cultural privileging of stories that superimpose images of marginalized people onto the roles of oppressors over stories about how those marginalized people were resisting indicates that the dominant culture does want to foreground their narrative and will adapt in many ways to keep their ideas alive - but I also know that marginalized people have always had many layers of identification and relationships to the concepts represented by historical fiction that permeate our culture most deeply, and it feels so bleak to say that we can't morally explore these identifications without first and foremost fully representing the depth of our abjection. I think lots of people have talked about the inability of fiction to serve as moral authority or even education, and about how the perceived moral imperative for poc to acknowledge abjection and oppression all the time can further degrade our sense of resilience and dignity. as far as my personal taste, I judge a piece of "historical" fiction on how well it explores and connects the concepts it purports to find identification in. not to say I need all my historical fiction to be highbrow, to cover all ground, or even be nuanced! I just want a coherent internal viewpoint. Sometimes the conceptual gap between the story's take and the actual events it's chosen to represent is too big and jarring, and the conclusions that the story presents come off as delusional or projected - this is how I feel about hamilton, I have no idea how the telling of american history from a founding father's perspective particularly serves its central aim of remaking history to include oppressed peoples, and it perturbs me that this is hamilton's answer to "who lives who dies who tells your story". I don't feel this way about all "sanitized" narratives, bc they aren't all contriving to retell history in an "inclusive" way, they're interested in different ideas that don't have to do with making a statement on historical narrative itself. It feels normal for people who intimately know what it is to be desubjectified to be drawn to the dignity and preciousness of courtly romance, or to bond-making amongst those who exist outside the law. I'll never pretend that these identifications aren't loaded or fraught, but it feels both reductive and like a bad faith assessment of your peers/of yourself to assume these multiple fascinations boil down to a power fantasy of being in the oppressor position. I guess I am interested in what value, if any, the post-colonial psyche would find in these identifications - would history and identity begin at the point of total decolonization? Does everything before that point no longer serve us? Is our yet to be decolonized present even serving us? I don't really want to refute op's stance or even disagree with it, but if we're accepting the project of critically analyzing pop culture thru the lens of identity representation I do want to keep following the thread that's there

anyway please don't @ me if you have a grad degree in media studies or something this is off the top of my dome and I've never seen bridgerton so if I'm very wrong abt it well! then I'm very wrong

[trashlie]

hey it's the same anon as last time ^^ i'll try to stop by your inbox more often when i have the time and some thoughts to share. discussing these things is fun and you make such great points about the characters and the story. i'll be signing these asks with lil anon (like lil buddy 😼) so you know it's me. and good to hear! i hope you continue to get better 🥰

i get why you're invested in kousuke's story. he is, objectively, a really interesting character. it's unfortunate that people disregard him, bc understanding him is a key part of understanding the story. and understanding him doesn't necessarily mean having sympathy/empathy for him. like on a personal level i can't stand him and want to smack him with a broom lmao but as a reader/observer it's interesting to try and understand his motivations/actions, if that makes sense 🤞

oh yeah you're completely right about kou getting worse as the story progresses. his recent development has felt like watching a car crash in slow motion - tragic, but fascinating and you can't look away. if ily was a less interesting story, a character like kousuke (typical rich asshole with some redeeming qualities) would have had significant growth by now. but that would be such a cliché, right?

and sometimes i do wonder if kousuke is doomed by the narrative, or if he eventually will be able to break free from... himself, essentially. the thing is, kousuke's is trapped. in order to grow and change, he needs to separate himself from the hiraharas/this fake reality that's been constructed from him, and see his situation from a different perspective. but in order to even want to change, he needs to grow as a character first. which he cannot do as long as he's involved with the family. it's like a snake eating its own tail. nothing/no one has been able to get through to him yet, so i guess there needs to be an outside force (maybe a revelation) that breaks him out of this cycle, shatters the very foundation of his fake reality, or maybe removes his safety net. and i really wonder what's that going to be. like... even though christmas is coming up in the ily universe, i doubt he'll be visited by the ghosts of the present, past, and yet to come and then all of a sudden he's a gentler, kinder man the next day lmaooo idk what do you think it'll be that's going to push him towards (positive) change? i think it's undeniable that kousuke needs to crash and burn first, and then maybe he can build himself up from the ground. i really do hope that's what's going to happen eventually! he is (mostly) a victim of his upbringing/environment, so it'd be nice to see him make steps towards growth/healing/being his own person. either way we're still so far from anything like this happening so who knows.

re: nol and fear - wow i didn't make the connection that nol is also driven by his fears, but you're absolutely right. i saw him as someone mostly controlled by self-loathing/self-destructiveness/low self-esteem, but these feelings are ultimately rooted in his fears. thanks for pointing that out. such an interesting parallel between the brothers.

all the ways the brothers are two completely different people with similar issues are endlessly fascinating to me (i just love me a complex siblings dynamic). you mentioned that neither of them have that family relationship with their parents at this point, and i agree. however, i think it's important to keep in mind that a key factor in nol and kousuke being such different people are that their early days were completely different.

nol had a very loving mother who shaped him during his most critical years of development (ages 0 to 5). and i actually believe nol got his best qualities (kind, caring, generous, brave, funny, etc) and morals from nessa, not rand. also, the hiraharas hadn't poisoned him yet. the layers of pain and trauma came later. on the other hand, kousuke received a completely different version of care and was taught a number of really negative traits - that his wealth and name make him better than other people, that his family doesn't function like others do and that that's normal, that he shouldn't feel guilty taking advantage of people and situations, that he deserves to have everything he wants, that his sole purpose is to inherit the company, and - as you said - that love as a reward, rather than something he's inherently deserving of. no wonder nol was/is such a threat to him - he's competition, and there can only be one winner. how can this boy, a 'mistake', have received this "reward" (=rand's love (nol hasn't actually received it but kousuke thinks he did)) so easily, when he didn't do anything to deserve it? that can only mean that nol is better, that kousuke is in his shadow, somehow inferior. and that just contradicts kousuke's entire worldview. idk it's just. much to think about.

oh wow i wrote so much, sorry about that. btw feel free to copypaste this in a separate post under a cut so it doesn't take up too much space if you feel like it, i wouldn't mind! have a good weekend 💗 - lil anon

Lil' Anon, I love it, perfect! Hehe!!!

You are SO right about Kousuke, too, in that you don't have to love a character to enjoy them. In-verse I would not get along with Kousuke or even want anything to do with him lol. He frustrates me a LOT - but right, you can understand WHY a character is frustrating. You can become invested while knowing you would absolutely fight them lol. The thing about compelling characters is that, for the most part, they are the drivers of plot and story and if they aren't a character worth investing in, you run the risk of caricatures of antagonists, villains who fall flat and cartoonish. ILY certainly borrows from the truth that everyone is going through something, no matter who they are. That doesn't always validate what they do, but as far as a story and PLOT goes, it makes everything far more interesting. That's the main thing I want people to come away with, not just as far as ILY goes but media in general. Because it's fiction, there is no harm in enjoying an antagonist. Your plot and story wouldn't be as enjoyable if they WEREN'T compelling or intriguing. When I say Kou has become a character I'm very invested in, it doesn't mean I approve of the things he does. In fact, I root for him BECAUSE I want to see him grow, because I want to see if he ever takes the reigns on his life and comes to much-needed realizations.

Because you are right - there is a big chance that Kousuke IS doomed by the narrative. I've talked about this re: Alyssa before, too, in that just as in real life, there's a chance he may never come to the terms he needs to. He may never find his way out of his safety spots, may never try to leave what is safe and secure. That's what's so important about acknowledging how fear drives him - if he cannot overcome that fear of being uncomfortable, of facing disappointment, of being outside what he finds safe and secure, then he really can't make the changes he needs to. He won't have the opportunity to see himself in a way that might give him the perspective he needs. In general, growth requires courage. If we want to grow, we have to face scenarios that bring us discomfort, that maybe make us fall apart, in order for us to learn just how much we can take, just how much we can overcome. But Kousuke has never really been in that kind of position. He's had everything handed to him, whether or not he wants it to be.

I really like the analogy that it's like a snake eating its own tail; I think that really sums up the vicious cycle and why we've not seen him wake up to reality, why things seem to go in one ear and out the other.

Over on reddit I've been talking to someone a lot about Kousuke, too, and a thought we share is that not only does Kousuke need that crash and burn - I think everyone is in agreement about that! - but maybe something that can be a wake up call for him is his career. They made some really great points, too, I'll link to their response here, but we know that Kousuke isn't truly happy in his life and career. To him, we endure uncomfortable situations, or one's that aren't fun because that's life. We don't live in an ideal world, we have to do whatever we can to get by. But Kousuke literally could have his pick of anything in the world, couldn't he? At some point, when does he realize he's unfulfilled? The whole purpose of his career trajectory was to earn Rand's affection. At what point does he realize it isn't going to happen - if he's not already at that realization? At what point does the empty, hollowness set in? When does he realize he doesn't feel fulfilled because none of this was for HIM, this doesn't mean anything to him without Rand acknowledging him? And suppose he does get that acknowledgement. Then what? The quest is over, there's no higher goals, nothing more to achieve. Oh, sure, he can go on to be the CEO as he was born to. But would it MEAN anything to him?

I'm thinking - or hoping? - that this might be the kind of thing that gives him the wake up call. That there is no point in his life that brings him joy - except maybe eating sweets lol. But that can only be a catalyst. You're right in that a big need is for him to get away from his family, for him to exist outside of their reach, to lose that safety net.

I have a couple thoughts in this regard. Whatever Yujing is working on - likely an expose - syncs up with Shinae's graduation and Nol's release from prison. It clearly has to do with the Hiraharas - and this means Kousuke, as well. When she found out Nol had pleaded guilty, she'd been looking at an old article about Nol attacking Kousuke, which we've seen may not be what we thought it was at all, that perhaps it was Kousuke who attacked and Yui blamed Nol. There's also that incident Kousuke is so DESPERATE to hide, something Yujing knows about. It seems likely that this expose, this piece, is something that could taint the Hirahara name. Even if Kousuke was not involved in other aspects, this would end up affecting him, because a major part of his identity is that he is the Heir, so what happens if his identity is that he's the Heir of a dirty family? If it becomes known that he is not the ideal gentleman bachelor he's been made out to be? Is that enough to make him step back and see his family - especially his safety net Yui - in a new light?

There's also my favorite crack theory, that Kousuke is not Rand's son. Now, again, I don't necessarily think I believe in this as much as I enjoy exploring it, but there's been a number of little moments that feel like they could be foreshadowing - or red herrings lol. Suppose it was true, Rand isn't actually Kousuke's father. Aside from the fact that he's spent his whole life trying to earn love from this man, I think it would also be detrimental in that he'd finally have to face the unsavory parts of Yui that he tries to ignore or deny. The one pillar in his life having lied to him and egged him on to chase after this pipedream, reassured him that if he's good enough, he'd be acknowledged. Wouldn't that shatter him? Again, I'm not so sure if this is likely - it kind of feels overdramatic, but then again, the deeper we delve into the story, the more those kinds of dramatics start to feel normal.

At any rate, yes, I think he needs a wake up call that will make him see his family for what they are, make him see himself in a different light. And that's just the beginning! I really look forward to our big timeskip to see where we find Kousuke, if he's yet in a place where he can start making these changes to himself, if he's got a security network to push him to make those changes (and if he cares enough to do it lol).

Also yes, yes, very good points about Nol! Nol and Kousuke are definitely foils in that Nol had the kind of nurturing, affectionate childhood that Kousuke lacked. We've seen instances of Nol surrounded by peers his own age and we might be able to assume that, aside from being teased for having such a long name, maybe he actually got along with them? But also, because of the teasing incident, Nol had that safe space in his mother - Nessa comforted him and gave him a nickname to make up for the teasing. We've never once see Kousuke receive such affection, and I just always think about that little flashback where he's in the bush watching Nessa dote on Nol and then Yui appears before him without eyes. It's such a cold relationship, it doesn't feel like it was nurturing. She goes through the motions of being a mother, certainly, but that's the thing - the difference between mother and mom. Nol had a mom, Kousuke had a mother. And we can see that even when Nol was driven by fear, even when he was trying to distance himself, he couldn't help but indulge in those traits his mother passed on to him. He started to care about the friendships that weren't supposed to matter because he's such an empathetic person. He understands loneliness so well, how could he help but reach out to people he thought needed help? But Kousuke never developed those kinds of skills or traits. How is he meant to empathize with or understand people he was literally raised to see himself apart from. They're not like him, they are Other. Literally a formative foundation of the way he views the world!

Light and shadow plays such a role in the ILY universe. Nol is literally in the shadows, but Kousuke thinks that its him who is in the shadow cast by Nol, that he cannot let Nol shine, lest it drown out his own light. I think that really sums up the root of their relationship and their issues: Nol didn't so much want to shine as much as just share that spot with Kousuke. I think at some point he gave up trying to earn Rand's favor and instead sought out Kousuke who was in the same boat as him. But Kousuke thinks only one of them can be in the light and if it's not him, that means it's Nol - Nol who is so undeserving who hasn't put in the same effort as him. Isn't that funny? Kousuke literally was born into privilege, knows he is afforded things most others never will be, knows that he has things others could work for their whole lives and never possess. But he thinks it's Nol who has earned something without making any effort. The irony of it, man.

Don't feel bad about how much you wrote hehehe! I.... also cannot hold back when it comes to anything ILY so I'm delighted to receive equally long messages haha! Looking forward to more fun conversation with you, Lil Anon! And thank you for the well wishes! I'm going to try to make myself do more painting today! Fingers crossed (I am not doing the best job at taking care of myself this week lol I'm hoping some painting will help!)

[loserchildhotpants]

You mentioned Sam using his “widow” voice on Dean once Sam saw the confession footage in WUtbM. And he never saw it during Dean’s year long suicide in KtL, so until that point in WUtBM and all of KtL he thinks Dean is just…vry sad about his good buddy? Like he doesn’t have an inkling that there’s SOMETHING deeper that wounded Dean? You mention it’s a choice of characterization to make Sam more or less aware of Dean&Cas’s thing, which is vry valid thanks to the canon writing consistency lol, what’s stopping him from seeing? His own grief at Cas’s death? His anger at Dean “giving up”? The blinders only a child can have towards the romantic life of their parent figure? Or that he wrongly assumes Dean’s Cas trauma is a more…violence and Winchester typical flavor?

This is an interesting question, and im fascinated you marked the difference and like, wanted to know why ! No one ever asks me why im doin stuff and i have such cool reasons tucked away 😔

So, in WUtbM, Sam was more a plot device that narratively needed goood insight to function as a moving element of the story. He *couldnt* be (totally) blind bc i needed him to propel something else forward. That story isn’t so much a story of acts as it is a study of grief in a character i love. It’s a long, long study, but it’s almost a stretch to say it’s got plot. The plot is sort of ‘Dean spirals into hitherto unknown depths of despair’ 😅

KtL though is structurally very different; Sam is not a cog in my machine for this, he is a highly independent character that i want to be independent. The title ‘Kill the Lights’ is meant to forewarn that everyone is walking around in the proverbial dark. As soon as Cas is gone, it’s lights out for our main cast.

Sam in KtL is watching Dean but not learning anything from it, he’s talking with Dean but not understanding what’s said to him (or NOT said to him), he and Dean are ships passing in the night, even as he pursues Dean so wholeheartedly. The same can be said for all his relationships in KtL:

He is spending time talking to and mourning with Eileen, but he’s not communicating effectively, and that communication shortage is coming *from him*

He is remembering Cas, but doesn’t cry, doesn’t really engage with the grief, and certainly doesn’t share it

He has faith in Rowena, but has no trust in her (demonstrated in the opening chapters of Blind Overture)

He says he has no family left, meanwhile his phone is blowing up with people who love and miss him— he can’t see them. He can’t perceive them. And maybe he’s blind from grief, but maybe it’s also part ego. Maybe it’s part of his inherent flaws. Maybe it’s a combination of all the above.

Sam isn’t seeing what seems obvious about Cas and Dean, because he’s numb to *everything* and *everyone* — no one is immune to his contradictory traits here, and that’s part of the Problem of the story. Sam isn’t the only character guilty of these flaws, of being closed off (even unintentionally), of being blind/numb to all that’s around him.

As the story progresses, part of the journey is learning to feel again, not just familiar pains we keep close when nothing else feels right, but authentic, vulnerable sadness, the desire to communicate and not just talk, the need to be understood and not just seen, to become whole again after being so disarticulated across time and space — Sam isn’t seeing it bc he *can’t* see it bc that’s a major part of the existing conflict.

WUtbM is what happens if Cas comes back, but Everything for Anything is sort of confronting what Sam would do if he *had* lost Dean in WUtbM, and now he’s got a second chance to truly connect with and understand Dean, possibly comfort him, but he’s gotta learn to do that for himself just as much.

:3 this was fun! Thank u for the ask!

[hideyourautumn-milkteeth]

i have gotten my sleep :D also you got me there ... im just a simple gay who loves having a pleasant conversation with a pretty boy :3

hell yeah writers unite!! a horror film huh? i'll admit i ... have a pretty low horror tolerance ahaha. i get scared pretty easily so i dont really engage with horror media for my own good. i really wish i had more tolerance tho bc horror is so fascinating. but yeah tell me about your ideas still!!! (if i HAD to pick a horror media i like, i guess it’d be needy streamer overload. it's a psychological horror game where you help this mentally unstable girl become a successful streamer)

yeah, a good friend group can really help you get out there. also damn you got a good find! hope you have fun with filming, it sounds exciting :] i thrifted a pretty sick jacket yesterday for around $7 (im not a dollar user so this is me just converting currencies lol). too bad you cant see it for now teehee

ooooo ive only played a bit of portal 1 and played one pokemon game (it was pokemon sword lmao). im currently playing the legend of zelda: tears of the kingdom, reverse: 1999, noctilucent: before dawn, and papa's freezeria deluxe LMAO i play house flipper and slay the spire on the side though. i have more untouched games in my backlog too (i really wanna play dragon age inquisition at some point). so many games, so little time ...

- 🫀

NAAUUUR 😭😭😭 SAAAD that’s SUCH a common response tbh (to the horror thing) :,) i get it tho. There is plenty of good horror that isn’t necessarily very scary tho lmao. My favorite era of horror is the 80s, and there’s plenty of fun wacky flicks from that era that arent very high up on the scary scale.

Also fuck yeah I love thrifted jackets!! I have multiple thrifted green jackets I have plans to use for patches. Two already have patches sewn on, another is blank rn. Probably gonna get more progress on the other two before I start that one. I’m big into DIY alt stuff, like Kandi jewelry and clothing mods. It makes being alt easier since I’m poor af and buying shit is always a risk 🥴

I don’t have much of a beat by beat narrative fleshed out rn. I’m mostly in the concept stage rn. Trying to nail down my inspirations, symbolism, intent with the story, as well as what everything will represent/mean/imply in the greater message overall. I usually wouldn’t go this hard over the lil details and poetics of everything but like wheghwgw my intent w/ this film isn’t to just make a goofy lil slasher or monster flick, but a more meaty film to properly represent what I wanna convey: WHICH IIISSS lycanthropy as a representation of transmasculinity, depersonalization, alienation from society, and the effects of internal and external struggles on young trans people as they’re trying to find their place in the world. As well as how community can save victimized and alienated trans ppl. All through the lens of werewolf :] ANYWAYS SORRY THAT YAP WAS RLLY LONG I probably could’ve summarized but my brain is goo rn and I’m sleepy af :,)

[dankokaji]

Okay, so, here's Part 2. Once again,

Like, yes I'd give anything on a novel exploring Machina War Zanarkand or Bevelle or both??? Outside of Lenne and Shuyin being the main focus, bc there's a story that's beaten to death. Maybe not even Machina War, it could be pre-Machina War with Yevon as a character similar in vibe to Sephiroth.

I mean, as compelling as the FFX-2.5 novel was in throwing the fattest bread crumbs at us in the most hideously disorganized narrative structure, I don't find myself wishing to revisit Valm, Kush, and Ifarnel. I'm satisfied by what we got about them. Besaid born and raised man who signed up to be a Guard to an enchanting, sheltered, and beautiful Bevellian Summoner. Their hot takes on the "heretic Summoner"; I love that Yevon and Yunalesca came from Bevelle and defected, bc we got new evidence that they were treated like shit. XD

Wish we had more Zaon, yes, I agree. Sadly, I don't have much thoughts to spare about him, but I liked my friend's idea that Shuyin was an engineer employed by Bevelle's Military Weapon department to construct Vegnagun; they took the idea even further and theorized Shuyin could've been the lead engineer, bc it's too contrived that Shuyin just happens to know how to pilot that damn musical control panel from the get-go. Plus, his clothes don't match what Zanarkand citizens wear. I like to think Shuyin defected alongside Yevon and Yunalesca, who knows what the timeline look like for the beginning and progression of the War.

For me, I've always yearned for more exploration in Bevelle's society, and the Ronso, Guado, and Al Bhed cultures (more so the latter two, bc I've read quite a few amazing fanfics that explore and touch upon Al Bhed life). I'm fascinated by Eastern concepts, like the tantric arts, which the Bevellian Summon techniques seemed like they were based off of. I honestly think Bevelle didn't possess the knowledge to create actual Fayth, which is why they resorted to that one (but then again, Yunalesca's knowledge of creating Fayth seems to contradict that, so maybe post-Sin the knowledge of creating Fayth became lost to Spira's equivalent of Pompeii or the Alexandria Library.

Last, but not least, the only reason I really wanted a Braska/Auron/Jecht prequel was simply bc I wanted to see what Spira was like in the norm. (Pretty much like FFVII Crisis Core.) Unpopular opinion incoming, but I'm actually not a big fan of Braska due to the fact he chose martyrdom over his one and only daughter??? Look, I don't care if you're Spira's equivalent of Jesus. You suck as a father. But my thoughts are born from pure bias, so I often handwave my personal feelings on the subject. As a writer, I can respect that Braska served his purpose posthumously.

Aside from that, Yuna's experience was pretty much an entire epic of exceptions-to-the-rule that I couldn't really enjoy the full impact of her dramatic actions. Sure, I loved the golden years of anarchy Spira, but I still wanted more gritty world-building. XD

If we were to get a FFX-3 anyway, among the main cast, I'd love to see Rikku take the helm for once. There's not much else you can tell with Tidus and Yuna respectfully (without it delving into mental illness territory, which SQ isn't shy about, they've done it since FFVI + VII), and I don't find the new development of their relationship compelling enough to lead the main plot.

I just feel robbed of the Poke'mon version FFX-2 dual story told between Yuna and Rikku. I wonder to this day what that would've looked like.

Anyway, thanks for the post! You went above and beyond my expectations; the least I could do was respond with equal fervor!

Since the devs and creative minds behind the FFX -Will- have claimed they wrote the audio drama ambiguous on purpose in order for us to fill in the gaps using our imagination, I'd like to ask what your desire or vision of FFX-3 is! :D

Whether it be in fanfiction or fan art, speculations or whimsical thoughts, I'd love to hear about it!

Hi, Danko Kaji! Brace yourself lol:

I genuinely believe that the future of Spira, unless it's in a distant one, should be left alone. I think X-2 wrapped up the start of the Eternal Calm nicely, and there is no need to push it further. Continuing from where X-2 left off is an example of beating a dead horse.

Also, from what I've seen, going back to Braska's journey is a popular X-3 concept among fans, but that would be the worst, imo. I don't see how it would introduce fresh elements to the story. Essentially, it would be a rehash of X, but with no surprises. I think we should all appreciate how we learned about that time through Auron's recollections (from his personal stories and the memories we witnessed in the ruins), and I fear that a full game focusing on it would diminish that impact. It's an unpopular opinion, but I truly hope that never comes to fruition.

I have two ideas, and one of them is fairly stupid, but I'm sharing. In fact, let's start with that one:

01. Auron in Dream Zanarkand. Tidus once said that fiends were a rarity in DZ, and that it was a big deal when one showed up. It'd be incredible if we got to discover that Auron was the one responsible for keeping them at bay, and was also the one slaying them once they reached the city (a boss, even, which would indeed be a "big deal"). Not necessarily as a hero either, but specifically driven by his promise to ensure Tidus' safety. It's evident that he kept up with his combat skills during his 10 years there, since he wasn't at all rusty when the time for battle came. In fact, he was prepared. The Japanese dialogue hinted that Auron periodically checked in on Tidus. It's interesting to imagine him being away dealing with fiends during those intervals. Perhaps he even had some form of affiliation with a small group of people who learned to fight and are committed to protecting DZ and uncovering some truths. This group could have uncovered something odd that helped them understand there could be more to DZ than meets the eye. They'd be low profile to avoid being dismissed as wacko. Then comes Auron, a sensible man with a strong head on his shoulders, and his arrival in their lives would provide a sense of companionship. Yet he never says he believes them or knows something. Maybe he sees himself in these people who are driven by what they believe, and he knows their worlds would be shattered by the truth.

Since Sin was known to destroy anything/anyone who got too close to DZ, it's plausible that remnants from another world (Spira) would wash up on its shores. Maybr strange technology and trinkets, or unfamiliar clothing. Ideally something more creative than that, lol. Their group backstory would be that their discoveries presented a pattern that each of then began to notice at some point, thus rendering them "touched" by Spira. It would provide an opportunity to see how someone from a fayth's dream or summoning can transform into something more once they've been touched by Spira or Sin. Remember what Bahamut's fayth said:

"Both you and your father have been touched by Sin. Sin, the one whom all Spira—the spiral—revolves. You two are more than just dreams now. Just a little more."

Vague enough to have fun with, if you ask me. Exploring Auron's time in DZ (especially the period between his shattered beliefs and the end of his mortal life) could be awesome. It would allow for insight as to why he aged. Did he manifest it on his own, and if so, was it gradual or immediate? There's a scene in FFX where Tidus (talking to Yuna) revisits a memory that took place while he was still a kid, shortly before his mother's death. Auron was shown to have already aged by then. So, maybe the stress, heartache, fear, and grief (the immense emotional burden) manifested through his appearance, making him look as old and worn as he felt on the inside.

I can't see any of this being translated into a full-fledged game, though. Maybe a smaller game where the "big bad" is actually Auron's inner turmoil and dealing with his new reality—similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6, lol. But those are my unrefined thoughts on that jumble of dumb.

[jostenneil]

I think something so fundamental to Naruto as a story is the fact that Naruto and Sasuke’s individual journeys in relation to Konoha—as a system and as a collective of people—are always going to send them in opposite directions. Like I realize that a lot of fans (including me, at times) wanted anything but angst for them as a conclusion, after all that they went through, but in doing so I think people ignore something undeniable about the story itself. As the story progresses, Konoha becomes a home to Naruto, and a source of exile to Sasuke. More under the cut!

The problems I have with Naruto’s post-canon—Chapter 700 and onward—lie mostly in the idea that Sasuke is willing to bend and cater to this system that: 

manipulated his brother into massacring his whole family,

isolated him as a result of that massacre, fixing his hatred on a singular point with no thought to how that situation could easily spiral, which it did, 

provided him with no knowledge as to why that massacre actually occurred,

and when he did find out the reason, lead him to realize that Konoha was a village that had never wanted him to begin with, that he had been spared solely because his brother loved him that much (but even then, that love wasn’t without consequence, and it was manipulated by the background intentions of Konoha’s elite), 

and, regardless of all these facts, continued to alienate and criminalize him rather than help or address his trauma and his very valid reasons for rage aimed at the village. 

Do I agree that there were better ways for Sasuke to go about his intentions once he recognized Konoha’s elite for the scum of the earth that they were? Sure. But I also think it’s important to recognize that he was incredibly destabilized as a child, and it’s amazing, because for some people this is a very hard thing to understand? I think fandom doesn’t realize the difference in the words ‘justified’ and ‘explained’. Were all of Sasuke’s actions in canon justified? Maybe not (although a lot were). Were all of his actions well explained by his trauma? Honestly, yeah. 

So to circle back to the point that I am trying to make—it’s true that during Part I, he grew very close to Team 7, and for a brief moment in time, these relationships were like a lifeline for him. But think about it—is a connection that you hold to three people enough to keep you in a village where you hardly feel connected to the rest? This is only a mild issue for Sasuke at the end of Part I; he doesn’t feel very connected to most people in Konoha, but at best, they’re just annoying background noise, trivial obstacles in the face of his goal to hunt down and murder Itachi. 

By the end of Part II, however, it’s overwhelmingly integral to his situation. Over the course of his journey, he’s come to learn that Konoha as a system always viewed him—his family—as a potential threat. His life was spared by his brother, but even that came with consequences and orders orchestrated by Danzo and co.; add onto that the chaos that he wrecked once he was free of Orochimaru’s tutelage, and you have a person who didn’t just alienate himself from his village, but who was alienated by that village in turn. 

It just makes so much sense to me that he leaves at the end of Chapter 699, because while he obviously cares deeply for Naruto and Sakura, is it really realistic to imagine him staying there just for them? What would he do, and what purpose would staying there serve him? This village rendered his entire life a lie, trivialized his existence, and traumatized him as a result. Aside from his connection to Naruto, by the end of the manga, Sasuke is purposeless. For someone whose entire arc is propelled by hate and sadness that stems from a very specific purpose, he ends up in this strange, sort of in-limbo space. . .

. . . which is why I actually like the idea that he decided to go on a journey for himself. It’s why I like the Blank Period notion of him being this forever traveler who drops in on occasion to help when circumstances are dire. It’s a good balance for him. In the fast-forwarded post-canon, however, we see that he’s essentially become a more child-friendly Itachi equivalent—he’s signed his life away to forever protect Konoha from behind the scenes, despite the fact that it comes at the cost of him neglecting his own family, and for the sake of a populace that for the most part does not care for him. It just feels like such a cruel way for his story to come full circle, after everything that he went through, because as much as he loves Naruto, Sasuke admitting to loss is more an acceptance to let love in, in full, and to let it guide him over the hatred he’d harbored in his heart for so long. That doesn’t have to be equivalent to submitting himself to Konoha—it just means that he should allow himself to prioritize his own needs and desires, rather than let anyone else’s evil or trauma guide him, as it has for the whole story.

And actually, that notion, to me, is what made Naruto’s character progression and ending make a lot of sense in comparison. He is someone who constantly strove for heartfelt connection to others, despite the pain and rejection that it could very often inflict on himself. In many ways, it was a dangerous way to think, and he often came off as naive(, which Naruto as a story is plenty criticized for, because it easily runs counter-intuitive to any sort of worthy political commentary on the series), but it also made him a very hopeful and independent person. He didn’t allow what others thought of him or inflicted upon him to guide his thinking, and he was very much someone who prioritized his own heart over the malice of others. 

So naturally, Naruto always ran in a direction opposed to Sasuke as a result of this thinking—and we know this. Befriending and changing the people around him for the better was what propelled Naruto more than anything, and it’s why Konoha ended up as a home for him despite everything it and its people did to discourage and put him down. He had to go to ridiculous lengths to prove himself, and in many ways it was cruel to realize, but he also formed so many valuable relationships along the way. Like, his relationship with Sasuke obviously takes precedence, because it is the foundation and catalyst for everything, but I don’t really agree with people who view Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage as an obstacle to that bond. I actually feel like those were goals that ran in parallel for him. And I mean, he even says it, doesn’t he? How is he supposed to become Hokage if he can’t even bring back this one friend from darkness. It just resonates so much to me that by the end of the story, Naruto is someone actually prepared to take on the mantle of Hokage—because he understands other people’s pain, and he runs with it, and he is insistent upon making the people around him love themselves because he knows how miserable he was as a child hardly able to love himself. 

In that sense, Chapter 699 is, to me, a really great chapter. I think it captures that forever diverging dichotomy between him and Sasuke perfectly. Naruto is a story equally about Naruto making a home for himself in Konoha as it is about Sasuke freeing himself from the same village’s shackles. True, there is this intense, deeply rooted love that they are always going to have for each other, but that love is something that runs alongside their own personal feelings and ambitions, rather than against it. I think people get caught up in the idea that a happy ending for them has to mean that they’re together together, but to me there’s a certain poetry in them going their own separate ways. Konoha is no longer a home for Sasuke (if it ever was, even a little), but that relationship to Naruto and Team 7 will forever be important to him and influence him wherever he goes; and Konoha has become a home for Naruto, but it’s also with the peace of knowing that Sasuke won’t ever succumb to the darkness of others again, and will love himself first. 

So, tldr; I think the notion of Naruto ending with Naruto and Sasuke going their separate ways is kind of ingenious, because it ties deeply into what Konoha means to each of them by the end of it. This isn’t me saying that I think they’re never going to see each other again—I just don’t think the conclusion to their individual arcs has to be in opposition to what their relationship means to them. They can continue to be intensely important to each other, while prioritizing their own hopes and dreams. That’s the beauty and tragedy of their relationship to me. (Chapter 700, who?)

[roobylavender]

i don’t think talia and bruce are people capable of handling jason with that tough love (for reasons distinct of each other and contrary to whatever horse shit is in canon) but i can certainly see barbara not giving two fucks about handling him with kiddy gloves

This is really interesting. This is really really really interesting! I never considered the not being able to handle the tough love aspect in Bruce and Talia but that’s like really new and not something I think I ever seen somebody say. Holy cow I love that! And I do think Barbara would be the kind to not give two fucks and who can be blunt but I think what’s fascinating about her is that she also has a softness to her that is rarely seen and it appears every now and then because she also understands anger. I wish I could hear more about this because it’s so different especially how all these characters puzzle in with each other. Like that’s storytelling at its finest.

i think what’s really deeply disappointing about the way jason’s narrative progresses is not only his own characterization but the way everyone else’s response to it is framed. it feels very surface level and at times emblematic of this conglomerate mindset on the behalf of the family despite the fact that they would realistically react to him in different ways dependent on their relationship with him and their own behavioral tendencies. i think the lack of attribution to the latter is what really gets me esp when it comes to bruce bc unfortunately jason is reintroduced at a time when bruce’s characterization starts to take a nose dive so you get a very bizarre and harsh succession of exchanges between them when i personally feel like bruce would not even be able to emotionally handle jason coming back that way. i think it would utterly break him and render him near nonfunctional and desperate and if he did manage to pull himself together i think he’d be very careful and sensitive bc this is his son who literally died and if he takes one wrong step he could lose him all over again. i really can’t ever see bruce being so harsh and final with jason regardless of whatever it was he did and esp since bruce didn’t even dare exercise that level of harshness with people he did clash with over ethical issues. the fact that jason is family to me would really amplify his hesitance and concern in that regard so i think if tough love was something that ever needed to be employed it would have to come from someone like dick or barbara bc they’re a little better at reigning in their emotions on the job than bruce is. but i sooo agree when you point out that barbara has moments where she can be soft and deeply empathetic too and that really would make her the ideal gateway to jason potentially waking up from the unreality he’s created for himself with the red hood persona

i think that’s also a balance talia carries within herself as well. talia is interesting bc like i said i don’t think she’s a tough love kind of person like it’s not in her to be harsh as a prerogative and that’s only something she relies on in particular straits (lexcorp for example) but she’s also someone who holds people she cares about in high esteem and expects them to meet those standards. like if she knows you’re a good person she expects you to uphold that goodness and not walk back on it and it’s disappointing and frustrating for her when circumstances point to otherwise. that’s what i really love about her no man’s land interaction with bruce. it’s the only part she has to play in that entire saga but it’s monumental bc her expectations of bruce alone are what wakes him up to the reality of his duty. she’s prepared to help him but she’s not prepared to coddle him and allow him to wallow in his misery bc it’s not ultimately helpful to anyone and what they have is a responsibility to use their power to do something. she has a very steadfast belief in people and i think that would apply as much to jason as it does to bruce bc she can see that everything jason feels is a consequence of how deeply he cares and how much he is trying to survive and grasp onto this second chance at making something of his existence with respect to the world. what he’d end up doing as the red hood would devastate her and like i’ve said before i do think she’d take it upon herself to end it bc she knows indirectly she’s responsible for facilitating it but that ending would stem from deep love and concern for jason as opposed to outright condemnation. she’d be disappointed in him but there’s a difference between that and her acting like he’s damned, which is the prerogative a lot of writers seem to go with when they try to engage with jason in any capacity

[valdotpng]

What were the nuances in revali’s character in botw? He just seemed like an asshole to me, I’m wondering what I missed.

hi hello so since i like him a normal amount (<lie) i have decided to just go ahead and analyze his whole character under the cut bc i have a Lot of thoughts abt him. hope thats ok w/ u!

ok so. where to even start. i guess lets start at the beginning? one of the things that kind of differentiates revali from the other champions is the fact that he wasnt born nor elected into a position of power. he isnt royalty, nor is he some sort of chief, meaning that there have never been any societal expectations or responsibilities hes been tied to-- every expectation for himself was set By himself, and boy howdy did he raise the bar high. every victory, every single accomplishment, the title of 'master revali' he owes to himself and himself alone. hes a self-made man! (or uh. bird guy) which is fascinating in the context of the games narrative, because it seems to almost always favor 'heroes of legend' or 'chosen ones' of sorts

which brings us to the next interesting fact about him

im pretty sure its canon that revalis gale is the only champion ability entirely Created by the champion using it. think about it for a second. daruks protection, urbosas fury and miphas grace all seem to be blessings somehow bestowed upon them since god knows how long. with revali though, we get to actually see him develop the thing. we see him struggle, time and time again, to accomplish something thats never been done before. ("...As you know, us Rito use our wings to fly forward. The wind lifts us up into the glorious sky above. However, we cannot ascend on our own.") all because he wants to and kind of has to prove himself to the world

"... I am close. So close to mastering my new move and showing everyone what I'm capable of."

"Not enough. I must stay in the eye of the whirlwind... must push myself harder..."

usually hes sooo high and mighty, but in the dlc memory, we get to witness the game show another, hidden side of him. it.. really did something to me, the first time we were allowed to see him vulnerable like this. hes so hard on himself... and its clear that all of this business takes a great toll on revali, both physically and mentally, yet he pushes on. that is, in my opinion, very admirable. and all of that is why i think he has every right to be proud of himself, just... *gestures vaguely @ how much of a prick he can be* Not Like This, lol

i think its no secret that revali has some self-esteem issues. ...a lot of them, actually. if you couldnt tell by now, he is very dependent on how the public sees him. imo pretty much all of his self-worth is tied straight to it + the things hes achieved so far. so when beloved 'master revali' ends up being 'a sidekick' to a seemingly random hylian knight, he IS going to get upset

this gives some context to his disdain for link. from revalis perspective, the hero of hyrule is someone who didnt earn his title, but instead obtained it by mere chance, by simply pulling out some sword out of a rock. we, of course, know that isnt true, and that link has his own share of struggles, but we arent revali. his negative feelings are understandable in that context, but i most definitely do not condone how he acts upon them

good thing hes like, the one champion that undergoes a noticeable change of attitude/a character arc of sorts during the base game !! a much-needed one, at that. thats right, it is now time to overthink every bit of dialogue he says during the vah medoh mission LOL

"Well I'll be plucked... You've defeated him, eh? Who would've thought. Well done. [...] I do suppose you've proven your value as a warrior. A warrior worthy of my unique ability."

at first, when we enter vah medoh, we're greeted by his usual snark and sarcasm, but his tone gradually evolves into something at least a Little bit warmer as link progresses. with every terminal, every little victory the surprise in his voice rises-- hes finally starting to see what our hero is capable of ("There are two terminals remaining. You're almost there (..!)" "Just one terminal remaining! [Huh] What do you know?"),

and it all culminates when...

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this... But you must avenge me, Link!"

there, he swallows his pride and admits that hes in a desperate need of links help. and, by defeating windblight ganon, link gets a chance to prove himself before revali.

then, once hes left alone with his thoughts, we get to see it:

"After all these years, I simply must admit the truth... [...] [Link] accomplished something that even I could not... Guess I was wrong about... how lucky he would be."

even though he doesnt fully allow himself to admit it out loud, i think the overall tone and subtext of the scene gets the point across: revali has finally realised that he was wrong about link.

hell, at one point he even considers the possibility of actually Losing to the hylian in a duel ("Win or lose, I would have liked a chance to settle the score with you.") which, in my opinion, is also very significant.

these little bits of extra dialogue you can hear after challenging the blights again give us more insight into his character. one of the most notable ones imo being the one where revali asks about his hometown ("...I cant fathom that it's been 100 years... There's no one left who would even know me. But even so, it will always be my home.") revali IS a jerk, but he isnt a selfish one. he is capable of caring for other people, and hes capable of growth and self-reflection

theres more to be said about him (i could ramble on and on about all the OSTs associated with him, about the flight range, about how the conflict he brings into the narrative is refreshing, about how he cares that there are children looking up to him etc etc etc), but i feel like this post is long enough already. TLDR: revali is undoubtedly an asshole, but i believe that theres more to him than that; in my eyes, he is one of the most interesting characters out of the cast, and its a shame that one has to do so much digging in order to find all of this... well. depth.

but anyways. thank u so much for reading if youve made it this far! i hope this was an at least somewhat comprehensible and interesting look into his character. uh. um. dont forget to like and subscribe and-- [REVALIS GALE IS NOW READY.mp3]

[pop-punklouis]

my thoughts about alice in borderland, the "games" is like a limbo, a place in between life and death. they have this 'visa' whenever they play and i think that those who d.ied or commited s.uicide inside the game are the people who literally died in the real world when the meteor hit the city. those who survived happened to live irl, surviving the meteor.

also, we were given three different explanation when arisu asked the queen of hearts and tbh, i like the first explanation first where she said that they're playing virtually in the future. i think it's more believable, as well as the second where she said that she's his psychiatrist bc his friends really died irl bc of car accident and arisu can't bear the guilt so he made up a scenario, and he happened to include usagi, too.

it was a roller coaster ride, and i was kinda (🤡) when i found out that the others were alive, too? like they were literally shot and stabbed inside the game? but i'm not compalining, haha.

so excited about the joker, too! what's your thoughts about it? sorry for rambling, english is not my main language and i hope you understand and share your thoughts, too!

have a nice day, hopeee! 💘

hi babe! thank you for talking to me about this!! (and to everyone who is rambling with me in my dms)

but i tend to agree. i like how the “country” could branch off into mental health range or being part of a collective limbo for those who survived. but i do wish it was more science fiction/futuristic dystopian explanation wise. the meteor felt like a cop out when laid out next to the other explanations the queen of hearts gave (which that entire episode could’ve been thirty minutes shorter it went on for TOO long rip). like what was the point of the advantageous, progressive plant species that ann ended up discovering was true?? i also have so many questions about the child who showed up in S2? we never see any other children in the entire game, and i know more than that child survived. so i would’ve liked to have seen more explanation and even discussion from the characters about that. there are many aspects of the narrative that seem to have holes in it or weren’t fleshed out enough for me to be satisfied with the ending explanation for the world 🧍🏼‍♀️ but with it being a manga/anime i cant criticize it too much. it’s one of the best adaptations i’ve seen of a manga/anime to live action.

i would’ve loved the explanation to lean more science fiction like the virtual reality ending that you said! or even the rich betting on these AI cyborgs that believe they’re actually human. the mental health one was fascinating and fit the story, but it also felt like a cop out that it was all happening in his mind yk? the other two felt so much cooler and like it existed within the same confines of the world that was built for the games.

although episode 7 is what GOT ending wishes it was, i was also screaming at like. aguni being shot in the head by the king of spades (who would never miss djdkdkdk) yet it only grazing his head, or akane being shot with a machine gun up her middle and still being able to crawl all the way out of the alley to be with aguni to cuddle or even the pipe bomb exploding and both aguni and arisu getting up after djdkdkd it was very manga in that regard which is fun but when translated to real life it was absurd 💀💀 i wish we got more depth to the characters in the end instead of blips of like chisiyah or kuina. and we didn’t get much of chisiyah’s background besides him being a doctor with the most anime look i’ve ever seen which was unfortunately so hot 😪 wish we got to see more of that.

BUT! i think my main complaint is that i wish the games this season were more psychological and strategic like last season. a lot of them were more physical this time. wish we got more games like the two chisiyah went through. those were the most engaging ones for me to watch yk 👁

and yeah the joker was an interesting ending. i like how it left it open to interpretation of that being a mass hallucination and not the true ending. like we, as well as the characters, were all tricked to believe it was over. OR it could mean that we were tricked into believing it was more than it was. which would be a tongue-in-cheek way to end it lmao but also i don’t think there’s going to be another season so it’s just what each person takes away from it which is cool in its own way!

hope you have a nice day too bb ✨👐🏼

[vijinxx]

hello! :) just wanted to say that i read "monsters in the night" and i loved it, you captured vi and jinx's dynamic so well and i can't wait to read more of your fanfic in the future!!

also, hope you don't mind if i rant a bit in your inbox since you're one of the few vijinx shippers i'm aware of.

i only finished arcane a few days ago and, being completely emotionally destroyed from it, decided to search out as much fan content as possible. i liked the cait/vi dynamic well enough in the show, but it was really jinx and vi's relationship that drew me in, that i was the most emotionally invested in, that was the most well-written imo.

i've never shipped anything taboo before, actually, and of course i don't condone incest in real life. but something about vi/jinx is just really fascinating to me?? it's not like i ship them bc they're sisters and i like incest, but more because their dynamic is just so complex and twisted that i can't help wanting to see more of them together even if they happen to be sisters, i hope that makes sense? like idk i think i would still ship them even if they were just close childhood friends and their relationship was still written the exact same way.

anway, although i doubt vijinx would ever really be 'canon,' i am slightly worried about how vi's character and her relationship with jinx will change in upcoming seasons due to caitvi? i like how vi is the most important person to jinx and in turn, jinx/powder is the most important person to vi, and i really don't want jinx to just be replaced with cait. i really hope vi doesn't give up on her sister and i hope she doesn't just completely change her ideals and beliefs because of the time she spent with cait. i've heard that in lol (which i'm not familiar with) vi becomes an enforcer with cait? which seems completely opposite her character? like i don't want her to just forget about the atrocities that topside has committed against the undercity, how the problems that exist in zaun were caused by systemic mistreatment by piltover's government, the classisim/class warfare, etc. so i just hope that if arcane goes that route (which i assume will happen) it will be a natural progression of vi's character that doesn't lose who she is in the process.

i guess for me, the ideal arcane progression would still be vi and jinx utterly devoted to each other as sisters, even if vi and cait are dating in the background.

thank you sm for this lovely ask!!

i get where youre coming from completely, and dont ever apologize for shooting me things in my inbox. i really identify w where youre at rn and from one taboo connoisseur to another (jokes) i can agree w the fact that its more layered than it makes itself out to be.

i also don’t condone incest irl. i feel like there is a separation you have to establish to yourself — and even more so publicly — when you start appreciating tricky dynamics in fiction like this. arcane wasn’t my first rodeo w fictional incest i.e sibcon i.e siscon (wlw version), i’ve been quietly enjoying content like this for roughly four years but had never outwardly expressed this except to Very confidential (internet) friends until last month to save face.

precisely what you said ab the dynamic being captivating bc it’s twisted is why i think it works. i don’t go searching for content to consume just bc they fit that niche of taboo, but i do find myself appreciating stories like that just bc of the forbidden love aspect of it (and the whole can’t stop type of thing. and the descending into mania is chefs kiss)

finally someone who agrees w vi’s story as an enforcer. i think it might be too hard to swallow personally? there’s so much opportunity for an amazing story to be told in regards to vi & jinx’s dynamic— and i’m NOT saying that just bc i ship them. i mean narratively— and i hope the writers don’t squander it in the name of fan service even if it is representation.

pls pls pls shoot me a dm or join the server if you wanna talk more — or, continue to send me lovely asks like this one 🤍

(also. don’t be repelled by the scary hate comments lmao. i only promote/respond to them bc i love clout and making people look moronic)

[gravedangerahead]

Hi, Rapha! I have a question, and feel absolutely free to not answer if that makes you uncomfortable (it's not my intention).

You seem to like a lot of romance movies and you're aro. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it if you have any.

Because obviously, we don't only consume media that we relate to. But I'm wondering because I, myself, used to not be a fan of romance bc I couldn't relate to it at all! I used to identify as a lesbian, and all I knew were straight couples in movies. It's not like I hated it, but I didn't quite like romance bc seeing straight couples all the time was something that... I didn't quite enjoy. I felt like it was something so far from me, if that makes sense.

I guess my question is... what is your view on heteronormative movies as a queer person, specifically while aroace?

Oh, wow. I've actually wondered about that myself, but I don't actually know?

One thing I thought about is that sex and romance are so ubiquitous, and fiction gives me a lens through which I can interpret these things that are absolutely everywhere and are considered super important. So that romantic song isn't about an experience that's completely alien to me, it's about my OTP!

I usually like romance that's actually given importance by the narrative, if it isn't fully central, that side romance that seems to be in every story because it has to be there leaves me cold. When they put two hot actors next to each other and then expect me to root for them to get together just because it's very frustrating. I never used to see a romantic relationship between characters unless it was explicitly intended by the narrative. When I started engaging with fandom more I would start seeing it after having actual fan content for it . So I didn't project it there.

Romantic stories are some of the ones that focus the most on interpersonal relationships. Who these characters are, what makes them tick, what makes them good for each other, what causes rift, how they need to grow to work things out, internal conflicts arising from the characters and not just external conflict. I do also love stories about found family, about siblings and about friendship for similar reasons. I usually care about characters and relationships more than I care about plot. And I like cute, sweet moments which is also common in romantic stories.

And there's curiosity about a thing I don't experience. I already liked romance since I was very little, and I was convinced it would happen at some point. I really invested on the late bloomer narrative, then on the right person narrative,  because I thought it was just the natural progression that at some point I'd have a cute relationship like my parents, or like in fiction. I idenfied as demi for a while, with no reason to believe that, before admitting I was just plain aroace. But now that I know I still retain a bit of a fascination with romantic stories.

But as you said, we don't only like stories we relate to. I often relate a lot to the characters in romantic stories, but even if I don't relate to the romance itself it's still fun. I think romantic stories have some clearly delineated progression and resolution for you to hang cuteness and funny shenanigans on.

Sorry for the delay on the answer, I'm very wordy and I was boxing up books for the move all day today. I hope this is at least somewhat coherent.

Also, I watched Lisbela and the Prisoner when I 7 and I just stole my whole personality from it, so there's that